Posts from Christmas

Searching for a festive, whimsical dessert to serve a crowd? This red velvet cake roll is not only surprisingly easy to put together during the busy holiday season, but it will look stunning on any dessert table. With tender red velvet sponge cake and a silky peppermint buttercream, this is a fun spin on a classic, crowd-pleasing dessert.

One of the best things about growing up in India was all the holidays we celebrated. As a multicultural country, all festivals are celebrated with lots of joy and gusto. Some of the popular festivals are Diwali, Holi, and Eid, but you may be surprised to know that India is home to a considerable population of Christians, who, along with the rest of the country, celebrate Christmas with their own rituals and traditions.

The holiday season is in full swing! Have you crossed all the items off your gift list yet? If not, don't panic. With just a few supplies, you can make your own soy candles in no time. They are adorable and practical (winter power outages, anyone?) gifts to give to friends, family, coworkers, and hosts.

I've saved one of my most beloved cookies for last. These candy cane cookies are the best. As a kid, I loved them for pretty spiraled colors, their soft vanilla-mint sweetness, and the fact that they hooked so perfectly over the edge of a mug of cocoa. Simple pleasures. And isn't that what the holidays are all about?

What do you find in your stocking on Christmas morning? Aside from the requisite candy canes and fun stocking stuffers, I always know there will be an orange (usually a clementine) resting in the toe of my stocking.

What I thought was simply a sweet family tradition actually has a lot more meaning, and it's pretty interesting.

I don't know about you, but decorating cookies is not my strong point. Those glazed and gilded holiday cookies seem to require so much technical skill — I'm a baker, darn it, not a painter! But then I discovered an easier way: the lowly and inexpensive plastic squeeze bottle. It's your secret weapon for gorgeous cookies.

For many of us, the only way to see family this time of year is to take a long drive in the car or a flight across the country. So when it comes to food gifts, it's important to consider not only how scrumptious that treat is (hello, fudge), but also how well it can withstand a few hours or days on the road. After all, no one wants to find a smushed cake under the Christmas tree!

With that in mind, we've compiled a list of 15 food gifts up to the task — and recipes from our archives to help you make them this week!

December is the month for sharing. You may be giving away delicious cookies, or creating homemade gifts. Or perhaps you share by opening your home and table to the people you care about. If you're offering a meal to a crowd, especially one that's more casual, then go beyond the traditional holiday roasts and decadent cheese platters, with winter comfort foods to share with holiday guests.

Here are 18 comforting recipes to share with a crowd, from chicken in coconut milk to lamb stew and a red lentil soup. Turn on the oven and welcome the crowd.

If you really need to impress Santa this year, wow him with this stunning sugar cookie cake, decorated to look just like a festive holiday wreath. It’s surprisingly simple and so very delicious — you may never go back to baking regular cookies again!

Olives — stuffed or wrapped in cheddar — are a foolproof appetizer. They're the perfect nibble for a small party plate, and easy to serve up in a little bowl. As such, they aren't usually granted centerpiece status, but that's about to change. Say hello to the olive wreath!